The New Jersey Devils are going through a rough stretch right now, losing six in a row all in regulation. There is a mixture of blown leads and blowout losses in those six games, and this doesn’t even include a 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes earlier this month. The Devils are so bad going into the All-Star Break, but they still get represented at the All-Star Game. Jack Hughes is headed to Las Vegas to show there is a future for the red and black. Jesper Bratt was not able to beat out Jake Guentzel for the Last Vote In, so the Devils only have one representative this season.
This is nothing new. The Devils have had one representative or no representatives at the All-Star Game for a long time. How long you ask? Let’s take a journey through the Devils recent All-Star experiences.
Since the inception of the 3-on-3 All-Star setup, the Devils have had a different representative every single season. That’s mostly because of injuries, as Taylor Hall had to back out of multiple All-Star Games. Either way, this opened the door for Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri, and even Brian Boyle to make the All-Star Game for the Devils. Hischier had two goals in his performance, and Hall also scored in his lone performance in 2017.
Prior to that, the league tried to jump on the popularity of fantasy sports by making the All-Star Teams chosen in a draft format. This started in 2011, a time when the Devils had a good amount of talent. Patrik Elias was the only pick in the 2011 All-Star Game, and he was the third to last pick for team Eric Staal. In 2012, the year that the Devils made it to the Stanley Cup Final on the backs of Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and Martin Brodeur, they sent zero people to the All-Star Game. They also sent zero people to the All-Star Game in 2014. That means Devils fans had zero All-Stars from 2012-2014 because there was no game in 2013.
The Devils haven’t had two players in the All-Star Game since 2007. 2007?!? It’s been 15 years since the Devils have had two players go to a city to represent the roster. This season seemed like the best possible season to change that. After signing Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes turning into a superstar, it looked like both should be there. They both got hurt and the Devils season is going into the tank.
The last time the Devils sent two players were Brodeur and Brian Rafalski. From 1996 to 2007, the Devils have had two players minimum in the All-Star Game every single year. Some years they sent four players to the All-Star Game. Scott Stevens and Brodeur were staples for the game, both going to at least 10.
The Devils have been missing the “stars” that made them household names back in the 90s and early 2000s. For 10 years, on one of the NHL’s biggest stages, they always showcased the team’s stars. Now, they just don’t. This shows what the Devils have to do next. They need to put a person in place who will let the stars turn into stars. Obviously, this team’s problems go beyond that, but this would be a good start.